Salamander Resort & Spa and Japanese restaurateur Daisuke Utagawa will host the first non-exclusive Sushi & Red Burgundy Wine Dinner on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015.

A native of Tokyo, Japan, Utagawa is the creative director of Sushiko Restaurant in Chevy Chase, Maryland. In the early 1990s, Utagawa stepped out of the kitchen to pursue a new culinary direction, “cuisine of subtraction,” the removal of extraneous ingredients from the most interesting produce he could find in order to express its essence. 

He set his culinary eye on the unknown and what would soon become the most important aspect of Utagawa’s subtraction methodology, pairing sushi with prestigious Burgundies from the Becky Wasserman Selection. 

Utagawa credits this perfect match to the combination of the tannins with umami. Sometimes called the sixth flavor, umami is the term used to describe a sweet and salty, somewhat textural flavor that lingers on the back palate. Found in raw seafood, he found umami is the perfect accelerator for the tannins in Burgundy’s red wine.

After successfully demonstrating what he called this natural affinity to a small group of skeptic growers at the legendary Becky Wasserman’s Burgundy farmhouse, his concept spread throughout France and Japan only through private dinners and exclusive demonstrations led by Utagawa.

Now more than 10 years later, Utagawa will showcase his innovative approach to Japanese cuisine with Wasserman Burgundy wines to a public audience for the very first time. Working alongside Salamander’s director of food and beverage Jason Cotton and his culinary team, as well as Peter Wasserman, national sales consultant for Becky Wasserman & Co., the dinner will be held at Sheila C. Johnson’s Salamander Farm. 

At $2,500 a person, this seven-course culinary experience is a rare opportunity for the palate and something Utagawa has been looking forward to for many years.